Description

This remarkable steel guitar tradition has been popular for many decades in several branches of the House of God, Keith Dominion and Church of the Living God (Jewell Dominion), centered in Florida. The first six selections are instrumentals followed by three vocal cuts by Willie Eason, including a wonderful six minute long praise of the late president Franklin D. Roosevelt. The second half of the CD presents live recordings made during he actual worship services featuring three of the steel guitarists.

1. Newsweek“For American music fans, it’s a find like a scientist’s discovery of a new species. The steel guitar is central to country music. But no one outside Southern Pentecostal House of God churches had heard of black gospel steel. Robert Stone a Florida folklorist, stumbled onto the haunting sound when a music-store owner told him about a steady stream of African-American customers for steel-guitar supplies. With an NEA grant, Stone made the first ever compilation tape of five gospel steel masters playing at services and revivals. ‘Sacred Steel’ was an instant hit.”

2. Guitar Player by Jas Obrecht Every weekend some of the most astounding slide players in the world perform at the small Keith and Jewel Dominion churches that are part of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement . . . Sonny Treadway, with his godly accurate left hand and bittersweet tones, swings on a homemade 8-string. Shades of Earl Hooker, Glenn Lee’s ‘Call Him By His Name’ is a bluesy masterpiece on an E9-tuned pedal steel with plenty of volume pedal . . . Aubrey Ghent jumps into the modern era with fancy chicken picking and shivery theremin-like solos. His massive-toned, tear it up version of ‘Praise Music’ is wild beyond description . . . ”

3. Real Blues - Andy Grigg “. . . Besides being of a separate genre classification, the music is so captivating and melodic that the listener is quickly entranced. Haunting beauty . . . There is so much here to enjoy and experience. A truly rewarding and enlightening collection that opens your eyes, ears and heart to another culture and world so much more peaceful than the society that surrounds it . . . the most important gospel release in years . . .”

4. The Boston Globe - Elijah Wald“. . . Although the players are virtually unknown, they are technical virtuosos whose work range brilliantly over the whole spectrum of American music, from lilting spirituals, gospel to blues, country, rock and even jazz and Hawaiian styles . . . The album starts with Sonny Treadway, a phenomenally soulful player, whose moaning, bowling instrumentals sound like Ry Cooder or Eric Clapton might in their dreams . . . It has been decades since anyone in the secular world has played the electric guitar with this much soul and passion. Deeply rooted and thrilling, this is music for the ages.”

5. AllMusic by Cub KodaSacred Steel is one amazing collection. Subtitled "Traditional Sacred African-American Steel Guitar Music in Florida," this multi-artist chronicling of this seldom-heard genre is a musical and emotional delight. The electric lap steel guitar has been the instrument of choice in both the Jewel Dominion and Keith Dominions (both African-American Holiness-Pentecostal churches) since the late '30s, replacing the traditional church organist. This collection showcases the pioneering work of five of its best known and most influential sacred steel practitioners: Willie Eason, Sonny Treadway, Glenn Lee, Henry Nelson, and his son, Aubrey Ghent. Their individual approaches to this style range from crude blues-based slides and slurs (blues table steel master Hop Wilson is called to mind more than once here) to highly technical flourishes bordering on country pedal steel sounds, with all of it played with a sincerity and spirit indigenous to the music, which is nothing short of heartfelt and energetic. Split evenly between instrumentals and the instrument interfacing with the congregation and choir at live religious services, the music runs the gamut from still and beautiful (Sonny Treadway's instrumentals) to the wild and abandoned playing of Aubrey Ghent. This is 75 minutes of music that will appeal to blues and gospel and even retro-minded rock & roll fans willing to take the time to explore this fascinating genre.